Around midnight, the car finally drove off the highway and deep into the forest as directed by the GPS of Josie's phone. It felt like another hour of long driving before they finally reached the end of the road; the car's headlights illuminating the brown wood of a small building as the vehicle came to a stop.
"Ugh fuck me," Bryan groaned "What the hell is this place?"
"It looks like a log cabin. Great for camping."
"I fucking hate camping," he hesitated to leave the car, even as Josie was already outside.
"It's not my favorite activity either. But Lei said it was a good place to rest. Isolated with only the two of us," She smiled, feeling warmth radiating off him. At this point, she was used to it.
Using the flashlight from her phone to illuminate the cottage, Josie moved to the front, shining a light on every detail. As she had initially gathered, it was a modestly sized log cabin. In her hand, her phone buzzed and she saw a message from Lei flashing over the screen.
"I forgot to mention, the key is in a hole under the doormat."
It had arrived at perfect timing as Josie now stood before the door to the cabin. Swiftly, she followed the instructions and sure enough, found an old key hidden well in a hole under the doormat.
Behind the locked front door was a cozy interior; a fireplace in front of a small living area, a staircase, and a small kitchen, revealing itself by the automatic light of the overhead lamps. It looked straight out of a catalog. A faint, dusty smell lingered in the air. Bryan was less enthused by the locale, amusing considering their earlier resting places.
He grimaced at the quaint, cozy atmosphere. "What the in the fuck is this?"
"Nice is what it is," Josie skipped to the car, gathering their rations to store them in the fridge. Since they would stay here until the day after tomorrow, it was only fair to store what they had left. More importantly, Josie was beyond tired, thankful for a break from driving.
Thankfully the staircase lead to a sleeping area of a bunk bed built into the wall. Out of basic courtesy, Josie opted for the top bunk although she envied the luxury of a window from the bottom bed. Already under the covers, she heard shifting of clothes before the creaking of the mattress below filled the room, fading into silence. Despite being tired, Josie struggled to sleep, staring at the ceiling. After a bit, the silence reached unbearable lengths and she spoke.
"I wonder what will happen when all of this is done."
For a moment, there was nothing but silence to greet her and she concluded that Bryan had fallen asleep. At least until he said; "We go our separate ways."
As unsurprised as she was by that answer, she couldn't entirely mask her disappointment. "…Even after all of this?"
"Yep. You got your goals, and I got mine. You're gonna go back home and I'll be on the other side of the planet on the next battlefield. My life is chaos, and it feeds on destruction. You don't seem to like that very much, so you have no business with me."
"…Will I ever see you again?"
Something melancholic, cold, and fearful sprang from him, seeping through the mattress on which she lay, like sensations off a heating blanket. In the middle of it all, it was different; longing and lonesome.
"Pfft, what the fuck is that kind of question? That's the first time someone has asked me that and not meant it as a threat," he masked those feelings with a hollow chuckle. At this point, he had to know that there was no use in hiding the truth within his heart. But she figured, he only did it out of habit. Fighting sorrow with humor.
Josie sat up and climbed down the ladder to him. From where she now stood, she couldn't see his expression properly, but she figured it was his typical nonchalant self when nothing truly faced him at the moment. It was completely dark, but she didn't doubt that he was looking at her, curious to see her before him. Yet he didn't say a word and neither did she, not even when she crawled onto the bed, eventually sitting by the edge.
It was a good thing she took her jacket with her as she lay it down over Bryan's torso and rested her head against his chest. Slowly, his chest rose and sank in rhythm with his breathing but he didn't object to this and she felt a strong warmth settle over her like a cloud. Intense and whole, making her heart drum faster behind her chest. At this stage, she couldn't tell if it was him or her own feelings.
Either way, she was overcome with hearty emotions and she began wishing that he'd put his arm over her. Or maybe, it was the tender warmth emanating from Bryan.
"So are you gonna sleep on me?" he asked.
"Maybe. I guess I just feel safe when I'm close to you."
He tensed under her but otherwise didn't move. "Why? Safe is the last thing you'd be with me. The road I walk is endless and dangerous. I reckon you got better things to do. Like that flower shop."
"I realized a lot of things when you almost died. It made me realize that I care a lot about you. I guess I'm stupid for not knowing why. Traveling with you has been great despite what has happened. It's gonna be weird when you fade away from my life. I'm not sure that I want that. Guess that makes me selfish."
"No, you're just being insane for being so preoccupied with me. But…I guess I am too for putting up with it," he sighed, his chest falling underneath her.
"I want to keep going on this insane road trip then until I get home. When we go back, will you promise to not just vanish? I'll buy you a cellphone if I have to. Okay?"
Silence entered the room once more and he sighed again, "…Right."
"Good. Now I will sleep on you," she closed her eyes, on the verge of slumber when she felt his hand, the mechanic limb, touch a few strains of her hair. Just enough to put her to sleep.
In the morning, Josie woke up alone. She found herself on the bottom bunk with a blanket covering her. Her jacket hung from the ladder to the top bed. For a moment, she lay still listening to the sound of silence in the cottage.
There were no signs of Bryan anywhere but she didn't need to see him to know he was there; the emotions emanating from him were enough to find him downstairs, sprawled on a couch in front of the fireplace. In his hand were his dog tags.
"Good morning…" Josie yawned as she descended the staircase. She jumped from the second-last step, stretching her body back and forth. For once, she felt rested, heading to the kitchen window to open it and take in the scent of nature. Looking out, over the woods, she spotted something peculiar; a lake from the kitchen window.
"Oh, there's a lake here!" she exclaimed, skipping over to where Bryan lay. Unlike Josie, he was not nearly as enthusiastic, groaning.
"Yeah. Pretty fucking cozy. Like something out of a shitty painting."
They would remain here until tomorrow and with the sun beaming down on the waters, Josie felt bold. Hastily, she forked some breakfast down and made her way to the lake, with or without Bryan, jumping into the temperate water. As it turned out, the lake was deep enough for Josie to be submerged to the base of the neck.
With a little effort, she was now floating, laying on her back to look at the faint sun, only mildly peeking through the light clouds. Occasionally a breeze would rustle the trees around her or ripple the water, creating a serene atmosphere that brought a moment's peace. Josie closed her eyes, feeling like she could relax for the first time in a while, even as Bryan's presence could be felt closing in on her, no doubt watching from the shore.
"Having fun?" he called out, hardly amused. Upon hearing him, she shifted her body to plant her feet on the rocky bottom of the lake, shuffling about until she felt steady, trotting closer to the shore.
"Very much so," Josie answered with contentment, eventually making her way out of the water. With the breeze greeting her body, she was shivering within moments, wrapping her arms around herself to gather some warmth. Bryan continued to look at her scantily clad body. She couldn't help but notice how his gaze wandered over her, only landing on her face after a bit as he took off his jacket, offering it to her without a word.
The sun broke from the cage of the skies, shining down upon the lake and slowly warming Josie but she was far too occupied by the man that stood in front of her; her heart soaring at the sight of him. It would be the perfect opportunity to tell him how she felt. But as she parted her lips, she found herself unable to say the words needed. Or any words for that matter and so in shame, she looked down to quell the burning fury of her cheeks.
"What?" he asked. He just had to ask that. She had to do something, anything to temper the awkwardness of the situation. From the edges of her vision, she could see him preparing the jacket to be put over her, just in time for a splendid idea to form in her mind.
At a moment's notice, she grabbed him by his mechanic arm and stepped closer to the shore, dragging him with her. Before he realized what she was about to do, she pulled herself and Bryan over the edge and into the water. Quickly he made his way to the surface and eventually the shore, cursing and swearing loudly.
"What the fuck?! What the actual fuck?!" He glowered at Josie as she sheepishly emerged from the rippling waterline with an innocent smirk. The emotions radiating from Bryan matched his mood to a certain degree; certainly annoyed, sour, and bitter like lemon-based chocolate yet warm underneath it.
She swatted at the water, beckoning him to join her, "Come, have a swim with me."
"No fucking thanks you. My god, I hate peppy people," He began marching back to the cottage, forgetting his jacket in the meantime.
Slowly, Josie made her way out of the water, just as dark clouds formed in the sky, casting a drizzle of rain upon the forest. By now, the wind got stronger, sending shivers down Josie's back. From where she stood, she noticed Bryan standing by the side of the cottage, looking at something.
Grabbing his jacket and throwing it over her shivering body, she made her way to him, finding what appeared to be an enclosed square of sorts, with a showerhead hanging above it. A gate served as the only means of privacy. On the inside, there was a stone tile with a drain at the edge. On the outside walls, there were hooks to hang towels and things like that.
"Fuck me, it's like going back in time to the dark ages. When I see Wulong again, I'll tell him to stop being such an old coot," Bryan grimaced as he opened the gate. Next to him, Josie took a peak inside the shower cabin, fascinated yet a little worried about the reality of showering outdoors. At least, it would explain why there was only a restroom inside the cottage.
She shuddered, reaching for the shower dial "I hope it's warm."
To her joy, it was and Josie hung the jacket on one of the hooks, basking in the warm water splashing over her. Since she wasn't entirely nude, she didn't think much of Bryan standing by the gate and watching her even if she couldn't help but shiver at the emotions coming from him; warm, almost too warm, sensual, and intense like the water that washed over her body. She knew it all too well though never as intensely as she did now.
"So do me a favor and tell me when you're done. I hate being cold and wet," he crossed his arms, souring.
"You could dry in front of the fireplace?"
"Fuck that," his eyes passed over her briefly, but just slow enough for her to notice.
It was too much; the mood became unbearable; her feelings ran at an all-time high and the need for his affection was overpowering. If only he had left, she wouldn't have reached for his mechanical hand and pulled him into the cabin. He didn't object or refuse her advances.
Closing her eyes, Josie tried to shun the logical side of herself and simply indulge in her wishes, ignoring the influx of memories flooding her when she put her hands on his chest and kissed him. Under her fingertips, she felt his scars and the warmth of his skin; the curves of his muscles.
It was almost intoxicating, the feeling of another person; the feeling of someone she had grown such strong affection for. Pulling back, she cast her eyes to his chest, unable to look at him properly. Still, Josie was anxious about his reaction. He hadn't pushed her away, remaining completely still when she kissed him.
"What are you doing?" Bryan said after a long pause, with the flow of water from the showerhead and the rain being the ambiance between occasional gusts of wind.
Josie didn't know. She couldn't answer that at least with words, and so she pressed herself against him, brushing her lips against his again. His emotions spiraled into a mixture of hot, thick passion, strong enough to make her knees quiver and yet, he retrained himself.
Perhaps due to the tugging depression that lay rooted in it all. Its presence was the only reason why Josie tried to pay extra attention to her powers at this moment. This time, she looked at him, her cheeks burning from her own needs and bleeding heart for him.
And then it hit her. She shouldn't have done that. She shouldn't have done any of this.
He looked so thoroughly displeased; his face was layered with a deep frown that resonated heavily with the melancholy inside of him, which only grew stronger. Without a word, he marched out of the shower cabin, away from her sight behind the trees of the forest, leaving his trail of emotions fainter and fainter until it faded into nothing, and Josie didn't know where Bryan had gone anymore.
The reality of her actions began dawning upon her and she crumbled where she stood, burying her head in her hands. As the rain came down harder and the showerhead kept on running, the water itself seemed to blend in with her endless tears and a bloody nose.